Maybe in Another Time
by SapphoAndCyanide
Summary: Post s7...Sara's dead but Catherine just can't find closure.Character Death CHAPTER 4 IS UP! FINAL CHAPTER! SURPRISE ENDING!
1. Chapter 1

**Maybe in Another Time**

**A/N: Don't know why I decided to do this…just wanted to.**

**Summary: Angst.**_**' **_**Post s7…Sara's dead, but Catherine's not ready to let go. Character Death.**

**Other A/N:…I'm not saying Sara's dead; SHE'S NOT!...it just works in this particular story.**

**Spoilers: Nope, based on the finale…damn cliffies. SARA CAN'T BE DEAD!!!**

…**--…--…**

_**Cath's POV-**_

Natalie Dell finally told us where Sara was, Gil and I were the first two headed toward the scene. It was almost 5 in the morning and pouring rain like you wouldn't believe; behind us was an ambulance and what seemed like the whole Las Vegas police department, every one of their sirens blaring.

I skimmed the darkened roads while Grissom drove, hoping to catch a glimpse of the red car Sara was supposed to be trapped under…

My stomach did another flip. It hurt to think about it. None of us expected the Miniature Killer to get so personal as to actually kidnap a CSI…especially when that CSI is Sara.

I guess, in prospect, it makes sense. Gil took away the most important thing in the killer's life, her father, so she was just returning the favor…Sara apparently means the world to Gil. He finally told us they've been dating for awhile now. That stung. Sara and I have been getting along so well lately, she was actually starting to flirt back with me; after almost 2 years of trying.

Gil and Sara dating is the least of my problems. We have to make sure Sara makes it out of this alive.

'_We're coming Sar, hold on. Please.'_

I'm thrown out of my thoughts by a huge shadow just off the road. It looks like…

"Omigod! Gil stop! There she is!!! _Stop_!" I scream and point out the window.

Gil pulls over to the side of the road and screeches to a stop, everyone behind us follows suit.

I jump out of the car, Gil right behind me. We both have flashlights in our hands rushing to the up-turned car.

I get there first and that's when I see Sara's hand sticking out from underneath, covered in mud. I shine my light all around the area, and then back to Sara. How the hell did she get under there that far?

"_SARA?!?_" I call out, hoping she'll respond. Nothing. I scream her name again before trying to get to the car—to her, but Warrick comes out of nowhere and grabs onto my shoulders and pulls me back. I scream and try to get away. "Let go! Let me go dammit!"

"You can't touch her Catherine! She's part of the crime scene! If we ever want to convict this bitch it can't be compromised!"

I feel tears welling in my eyes. "Fuck the crime scene! She needs our help! She's hurt!"

I jerk harder this time and manage to break free, only to slip to the muddy ground in the process. I get up and run the last few feet before falling to ground again. I grab her hand then immediately check for a pulse, it's weak, but it's there.

I almost cry in relief. "We've got a pulse!"

**TBC…**

**3 more chapters are ready to be posted. I'll post em when I get reviews…**

**Thanx**


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

2 EMT's followed by 2 officers carrying jacks ran up as fast as they could. The cops started jacking the car up while the EMT's started helping Sara. They were screaming out vitals as the car was raised higher and higher. I grabbed Sara's hand again and squeezed, hoping she could feel someone was here with her. I gave the paramedics more room, never letting go of Sara's hand and glanced over in the direction of the squad cars and such through the rain. Warrick and Nick were standing next to each other. Nick was saying something into a cell phone while Warrick was screaming into his. Greg was squatting next to them, his head in his hands. Everything seemed to go by in slow motion.

I spotted Gil by my Denali, just-_standing _there. Like a zombie. He was staring at us. Frozen. I don't know if it was because he didn't know what to do or he just didn't want to get in the way.

"Ma'am, can you move? We need to get the stretcher by!" One of the paramedics screamed at me. I shook my head, trying to clear it and stepped aside. It was then that I realized that they had gotten the car up.

They checked Sara again before lifting her onto the stretcher. She was wearing her CSI vest, covered in mud.

'_This can't be happening. This can't be happening.'_

…--…--…

I arrived at the hospital an hour later, only 2 minutes behind the ambulance. They wouldn't let anyone ride with Sara because there was no room, so I jumped in my Denali and sped off right behind them. Leaving Gil to catch a ride with the others.

"_Time of death: 6:40am…" _

That's all I heard them say before I felt the last 7 years of my life flash before my eyes. The 7 years I had known Sara.

…--…--…

"_Where can I find Catherine Willows?"_

"_She's out in the field…" I was such a bitch to her, but she gave me that adorable-slightly confused look and I gave in._

"_Lemme guess, Sara Sidle?"_

"_I know who I am; you might be a little confused."---I always loved her smile._

…--…--…

The doctors couldn't do much for her. She had severe hypothermia and a lack of oxygen from her lungs getting crushed apparently.

I was standing there in the ER, holding her hand again, it felt like ice. I wasn't even trying to hold back my tears at this point. She looked so peaceful…like she was sleeping.

I let out a choked sob and bent down to kiss her forehead.

"I'm so sorry Sara, we tried. I swear to god we tried."

When I stood back up Gil was standing there, the guys behind him. They were crying, but he wasn't. He was just standing there like he was watching his fucking bugs: with that morbid curiosity he always got. That's when I snapped. How could he _not _be crying over the woman he supposedly loved?!?

I gritted my teeth and stormed over to him. When I was arms distance I shoved him as hard as I could. He fell back into Brass; all the guys had a shocked look behind their tears, but not him.

"You bastard!" I pushed him again. "This is _your_ fault!" I screamed in between tears. "It's your fucking fault she's dead!" I pushed one final time before collapsing to the floor, my head in my hands, sobbing. I felt someone's arms around me and opened my eyes to see it was Greg.

"Catherine, death is a part of life. I'm tremendously sad that Sara's gone, but it was her time."

This time everyone looked at Gil with angry glares.

"You can't be serious?!?" Nick shouted.

Warrick joined in. "I thought you loved her?"

"I did."

Brass huffed and muttered a slew of curse words before storming off. Sara had been like a daughter to him. He couldn't handle this.

"You heartless bastard, I hope you burn in hell…You didn't deserve her." I whispered in a hoarse voice before breaking down again.

Greg just shook his head at our supervisor before sniffling and letting out a muffled sob.

Greg had loved Sara almost as much as I did…He was dying inside; I could tell, we all were. Except for Gil.

I thought I knew him. He has been my best friend for 15 years. He was there for me when Eddie and I got divorced, when he died, and everything in between. I never would've guessed he was so cold inside. We all used to joke about him being an unemotional robot, but who would've figured it to be true?

**TBC…**

…--…--…

2 more left


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

The funeral went by without a hitch; the city paid for it…Gil didn't show up. Jim told him it would be best if he didn't. It was a beautiful service. Sara's older brother Sean turned up. I never knew she even _had _a brother. Apparently he hadn't seen his sister since they were kids and he had found out she was living here and Vegas and spent the last month looking for her.

After the funeral I told Sean I'd take him to Sara's apartment. We got the manager to unlock the door and we both stepped inside.

I had gone almost 2 hours without crying. I couldn't help but start again when I looked around. This place just screamed 'Sara'.

"I'm going to take a look around." Sean said somberly and put his hand on my shoulder before walking over to the living room.

I found myself in the back of the apartment somehow, in Sara's bedroom. It was nice; painted a deep blue with a 4-poster bed up against the window along with some other vintage looking furniture. I sat on the side of the bed, picking up a pillow; I hugged it tightly and smelled it…

'_Oh god, it still smells like her.' _

Lavender. I used to always compliment her and tell her lavender was my favorite scent and it definitely worked for her. I didn't think her smile could get any bigger when I told her that.

Just then Sean walked in the room, carrying a picture frame.

"Catherine, were you and my sister close?"

I sighed sadly and clutched the pillow tighter. "Unfortunately, no. I like to think we were at least somewhat friends. I respected her very much." _'…And loved her with my whole heart.' _"Why do you ask?"

"Because I found this on the table by the couch." He walks over to me and hands me the black picture frame.

I smile and feel a few stray tears roll down my cheeks and onto the picture of Sara and I. We're smiling at the camera, arms around each other's waists'. I remember Lindsey snapped this one a few years back during the party the guys threw for my birthday…but when I asked Lindsey for a copy she told me she lost the negative. I guess Sara asked first.

"You can have it." I heard Sean whisper. I wiped the wet spots off the glass of the frame and smiled weakly up at him.

"Thank you, you have no idea what this means to me."

**TBC…**

…--…--…

**1 more.**

**Review. )**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Ok, I was hoping for a lil more than one review for chapter 3, but whatever, I'll take it…here's the last chapter.**

THE FINAL CHAPTER….

CHAPTER 4

It's been almost a year since Sara passed away. With the Miniature Killer away for a long, long time everything's different. I transferred to a lab in Colorado awhile back. I just couldn't take going to work everyday without seeing Sara. It just didn't feel right. I still talk with the guys though, they told me Gil quit sometime back. No one has heard from him in awhile aside from Hodges; who is taking one of his online courses again…I could care less if I ever saw my ex-supervisor/best friend ever again.

Lindsey just went off to college in California so with the house being so quiet and empty all the time my thoughts usually are of the past, _before _everything changed. I keep the only thing I have to remember Sara by on my bedside table. Her smiling face is the last thing I see before I go to sleep and the first thing I see when I wake up. It makes everything a little bit easier.

I've kept in contact with Sean. He's living in Sara's old place. I call him every once in awhile and tell him about the sister he never knew and he tells me about the little girl she used to be. It's a little like therapy in a weird sort of way.

…--…--…

Greg's convinced me to come back to the place I used to call home for the anniversary of Sara's death. I was a little reluctant at first, but I have to do it, I need closure one way or the other. So now I'm driving to the cemetery from my sisters' to meet everyone. My whole body is shaking uncontrollably, and my head is spinning. It's been this way for a week, when I promised Greg that I'd come back.

I figure I'm just nervous as I drive down the long road in the Nevada desert…My vision becomes blurry and I'm losing focus.

"I've gotta pull over…have to…I gotta call Nick." I slur.

'_What's wrong with me?'_

That's all I manage to think before I swerve to miss a large piece of debris and skid off the road before I feel like I'm rolling…then it hits me; I just wrecked.

When the rolling has stopped I'm upside down, still strapped into the seat.

I moan in pain and feel a trickle of what I'm positive is blood on my forehead. There's blood on the steering wheel too.

I close my eyes to steady my vision for what seems like only a minute, when I open them again I'm out of the car…somehow.

'_This can't be happening. This can't be happening.'_

Ifeel something warm envelope my cheek, I turn my head, squinting in the sunlight only to see an outline of a body sitting next to me. I lean into the hand still on my cheek.

"S-Sara?" I choke out in pain.

"Hey Catherine." She smiles that perfect gap-toothed grin.

"But-But…" How can this be possible? Sara's dead. Yet she's sitting next to me as real as day. She's still smiling down at me softly. She pulls a tissue out of the pocket of the suit pants she was buried in and dabs it on my forehead.

"Shhh, its ok Cath. I'm here. Just like you were for me." She reaches down and grasps me hand, squeezing gently then interlaces our fingers.

I feel myself start to cry, getting dizzier and colder all the while. I'm terrified right now, but I need her to know why we let her down.

"Sara, Sara…I'm so sorry! I tried to save you! We all did! But we couldn't! We were too late. I'm sorry….I miss you so much." I'm crying hard now. I try to sit up but my whole body feels heavy.

Her free hand goes to the top of my head and is stroking my hair, which I'm sure is matted with blood by now. "Don't apologize Catherine, please don't. Gil was right, it was my time."

She's crazy! How can she be agreeing with him?!?

"…But," She continues. "I missed you like hell." She winks at me and I think I manage to smile. At least now I know she likes me…unless this turns out to be some dream and I'm still in my bed.

I can't help but ask: "What's going to happen to me?"

"Well, that's up to you…" She looks to her left at something in the distance which I can't really see before turning back to me. "It's literally a life or death situation."

My foggy brain immediately makes up its decision.

"I love you Sara."

The smile she flashes is a million times better than I could've ever imagined.

"I love you too." Her voice sounds far away, fading.

She bends down till she's only a few inches away from me, still holding my hand.

"You sure?"

I nod, or at least I think I do before she closes the gap and presses her lips against mine sweetly and I close my eyes for the last time.

_When Greg found Catherine's over-turned SUV only hours later he quickly rushed to check her pulse. When he found none he turned and looked to the left to fight back his tears, that's when he noticed, not too far off, the memorial cross the lab had set up for Sara…_

**END…**

…--…--…

So yea. I don't even know where that came from. I wrote it in a few hours….just-random.

Review now please.

(please no saying 'Catherine wouldn't leave Lindsey like that!'…or anything like it…I don't like that lil hoe-biscuit but it worked for the story.) And I know if Sara ever died Gil would go psycho, but I hate GSR. (I _just_ realized GSR is like gun-shot-residue also.lol)

Nicole.


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